Summer Nights
by Gazlover12-Canada
Summary: When Arthur can't sleep, he watches the fireflies. They make him forget about his mean older brothers, and all of his other worries. Little England fic! One-shot R


_Note: Imagine England to look around 2 or 3 at the time, and France to be around 14 or 15._

The sun had gone down long ago, but the summer heat left the night air moist and warm. The stars shone brightly, twinkling against the black layer of sky. The moon was a fine crescent shape, still sending an illuminating path onto the forest floor. Nearby the forest was a clearing filled with flowers and long grass. Nestled in the grass lay a small boy.

He was curled up, green cloak placed under him as temporary bedding. His eyes were closed, the only sound coming from, him being his soft breathing. Summer time was Arthur's favorite season. He could run around the forest wild and free, with no boundaries. Plenty of food like berries and mushrooms grew in the summer, so he never had to depend on his older brothers for meals. He could avoid them, never having to worry about the cold.

Though he didn't like admitting it, Arthur hated being alone. Night time darkness was scary, the pitch blackness and the sounds of wolves howling from the distance. Arthur didn't like it, but he didn't like sleeping with his brothers either. Sometimes he had good days with them though. For instance, just a few days ago Ireland showed him how to hold a bow and arrow. Of course he had been to small to hold the weapon by himself, but his older brother had helped him, steadying his hands and praising him. Those rare moments of kindness did happen, but not often. Most of the time Arthur ended up sleeping alone in the darkness.

Tonight wasn't scary though. There was another reason Arthur liked summertime. In the summer, things were _alive_. The fireflies would act as a pleasant nightlight, and the fairies would emerge from their homes in the trees and flowers, singing soft lullabies to him. Yes, the fairies had taken a special liking to Arthur, much Scotland, Ireland, and Wale's disgust. They saw England as a pest. The fairies saw him as something important. Sometimes they would giggle, whispering to Arthur that he would become something great, something important someday.

Arthur would listen to them, their words assured him whenever he was chased by Scotland, or had rocks thrown at him by Wales. Those words were the things that kept him from giving up whenever he would cry softly as he hid away in the depths of the forest.

There was another country too, one that made it his personal goal to visit Arthur at least one a day. France, a country who was older than him, would always come see Arthur. Whether it was prattling on in his weird froggy language or teasing Arthur about being so small, France would always be there.

Today France hadn't visited him at all though. Earlier he and Arthur had gotten into a fight. Francis had came to show him a new outfit he had gotten. It was full of fancy ruffles and silk, much like many of the things that the Frenchman normally wore. Arthur had been mad, since just a little while ago his brothers had made fun of him. He took it out on Francis, charging and headbutting the larger country in the stomach. Francis had fallen into a nearby stream, getting his new outfit soaking wet and muddy.

He had then gotten angry at Arthur, yelling that he was an ungrateful brute of a child. Arthur had yelled back, telling Francis that he didn't care and to never come and visit him again. Now Arthur regretted those words. Usually even when they did fight France would still come back to check up on him. It must have actually taken Arthur's words to heart.

The small Brit tried to push France away from his mind, instead focusing on trying to get to sleep. Every once in awhile his green eyes would once again open, staring at the beautiful fireflies above him.

Eventually Arthur realized that he wouldn't be able to sleep. Sometimes it was like that for him. Whenever he was sad or upset, his eyes would never be able to stay closed. For awhile he watched the fireflies, gasping when one came close enough for him to touch.

"They are beautiful, non?" A voice that Arthur recognized very well spoke from behind him. The little boy turned around, a feeling of relief and excitement passing through him when he saw Francis smiling from behind him.

Arthur got up and toddled over to where Francis was. The French nation sat Arthur on his lap, absentmindedly running his hand through the smaller boy's hair. Arthur sighed in content at the nice feeling. Francis was the only one who ever held him and comforted him to such nice lengths. Secretly he viewed Francis more of a brother than Scotland, Ireland, and even Wales. It didn't matter that Francis teased him all the time. The only thing that mattered was that Francis was always there for him, even when they fought.

"I'm sowwy Francis" Arthur whispered. "I wont ever huwt your clothes again."

Francis smiled, ruffling Arthur's hair and placing a kiss on his forehead. "It's alright mon cher, I forgive you mon petit lapin."

For the rest of the night they both together, watching the fireflies in peace, both completely content. Thus this was just another one of the many summer nights they spent together.

**a/n: Sorrry I haven't updated on my other stories! You see, I'm grounded...yes that's right. I swore at my uncle because I was sick and upset and he was yelling at me, so really I wasn't thinking clearly. I will update after next Wednesday when I am free again. This was written in school, so sorry if it sucks. I'm posting it at home because nobody is here right now...shhhh!(:**

**Anyway guess what? IT'S MY BIRTHDAY NEXT THURSDAY ON THE 17th! I'm so excited, cuz I'll be 15! Yay! Sorry, I just had to get that out because I'm excited.  
**

**Anyway I better get off before someone gets home and I get caught caught. Byeee!**

**Review to make me feel better because I'm still sick?**


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